Mesh networking routes data, voice and instructions between nodes and allows for continuous connections and reconfiguration around blocked paths by “hopping” from one node to another node until a successful connection is established. Even if a node collapses, or a connection is bad, the mesh network still operates whether the network is wireless, wired and software interacted. This allows an inexpensive peer network node to supply back haul services to other nodes in the same network and extend the mesh network by sharing access to a higher cost network infrastructure.
Wireless mesh networking is implemented over a wireless local area network using wireless nodes. This type of mesh network is decentralized and often operates in an ad-hoc manner. The wireless nodes operate as repeaters and transmit data from nearby wireless nodes to other peers, forming a mesh network that spans large distances. In ad-hoc networking, neighbors find another route when a node is dropped. Nodes can be either fixed or mobile, with mobile devices forming a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) known to those skilled in the art.
The mesh networks use dynamic routing capabilities. A routing algorithm ensures that data takes an appropriate and typically the fastest route to a destination. Some mobile mesh networks could include multiple fixed base stations with “cut through” high bandwidth terrestrial links operating as gateways to fixed base stations or other services, including the internet. It is possible to extend the mesh network with only a minimal base station infrastructure. There are also many different types of protocols that can be used in a mesh network, for example, an Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Optimized Link State Routing protocol (OLSR) and Temporally-Ordered Routing Algorithm (TORA), as non-limiting examples.
Many of the mesh networks operate using a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) protocol. Depending on the configuration of a TDMA mesh network, a large portion or even a majority of the configured bandwidth can be wasted. Many of the mesh networks use a primary frequency for a beacon interval operative as a network control interval and a plurality (sometimes four or more) of secondary frequencies for a digital data (DD) interval. Many of the secondary frequencies can be unused, and thus, as noted before, a large portion or even a majority of the configured bandwidth can be wasted.